The Court Sorcerer Tournament
by VioletLink7
Summary: Merlin has been missing for three years and no one knows why. Arthur, King of Camelot has just abolished the laws against magic and is holding a tournament to decide the new Court Sorcerer. Magic-users come from all around , including a mysterious man who hides his face in a cloak and calls himself King of Druids.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first ever Merlin fanfiction! I had a sudden inspiration last night and...well, here it is. Very short chapter, but I'm uploading all 5 today. This is after season 4; season 5 is non-existent. Enjoy and please review! :)

I do not own Merlin.

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**Chapter One**

Arthur took in a deep breath, he couldn't believe he was about to say this, "I'm abolishing the laws against magic," he told the court. A gasp rippled through the room, "Sorcerers are to be judged by their actions, not their skills, from this point forward."

"But Sire—" Arthur put his hand up to silence the man who had spoken.

"I have not come to this decision lightly, nor will I be persuaded to change my mind. My father was wrong about magic; it is a tool, it does not make a person evil, they choose to be so," he smiled. "And, frankly, has anyone noticed nearly all of the sorcerers who have raised their hands against Camelot did so out of revenge? Well, I intend to make up for all the wrong my father and I have done against these people. Magic is free."

The court was dumb-founded, but soon broke into cheers; who could really argue with a speech like that? And so it was that magic was brought back into Camelot. It would not be an easy transition, Arthur knew, but it was a necessary one.

The king sat back on his throne with a sigh; what would Merlin think if he were here? His skinny manservant had gone missing three years ago, and no one knew why. He just disappeared one night, soon after Uther died. In the back of his mind, Arthur wondered if he had done something but couldn't for the life of him figure out what it might be. He missed his friend—for that's what he really was—dearly, though most presumed he was dead.

Arthur was pulled out of his thoughts by the sudden silence as the conversation around him died down. "Oh, and one more thing," he addressed the court again, "I'm bringing back the position of Court Sorcerer to help the relations with the magical community. And I'm holding a magic tournament to decide who will be appointed."

With that, the king left the room, he had other business to attend to; a tournament to organize. He really hoped he hadn't just made a terrible mistake.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Merlin.**

**Chapter Two**

A few weeks later, sorcerers were pouring into the city from all over to try their luck at King Arthur's tournament, or just to watch it unfold. Some were druids, others came from different kingdoms where magic was not illegal. They came in all shapes and sizes; men, women, young, old, experienced, and naïve.

Arthur watched from his window as they came and rented rooms at the tavern. Really, the king thought, there are quite a lot of them. One in particular seemed to stand out to him, he had the hood of his midnight blue cloak over his head and road on a white horse. He also had two companions in green cloaks with him who appeared to be either servants or bodyguards.

One of the men in green was tall and broad-shouldered, the other shorter and slimmer. The slim man took their horses to the stables while the other two walked into the tavern. Gwen came up behind her husband at this moment.

"Nervous?" she asked.

Arthur laughed, "Of course I am! What if this goes wrong? What if one of them is less than friendly? What if I've just made a horrible mistake?"

Gwen put a finger to his lips to silence him, "And what if you haven't? What if this is the beginning of a greater and stronger Camelot? I believe in what you are doing, Arthur; I am sure it will be a great tournament."

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The stranger in the blue cloak waited at the entrance to the tavern while his companion waded through the crowds to find the owner and rent a room. He sighed, this was going to be one interesting tournament.

"This way to your room," his companion said when he returned. The stranger followed him, eager to get away from the crowds. Once inside he flopped down on his bed in a very undignified manner, his hood falling down to reveal the handsome face. He was young, with black hair that reached his chin and startling blue eyes.

"I can't wait for this tournament to start," the stranger exclaimed. "The sooner this is over the better!"

His other companion came into the room at this point, "It would be good for us to rest, my lord, for tomorrow will be a long day."

"I know, Ronan," the stranger said. He looked at his bulkier companion, "Would you get me a drink and some food, Ulric? It has been a long day."

Ulric bowed and left the room. Ronan gave him a disapproving look.

"I'll sleep after I've eaten," he said with finality.

"As you wish, Lord Emrys."


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Merlin.**

**Chapter Three**

"Welcome to Camelot's first magic competition," shouted Sir Leon over the crowd. "The winner of this tournament will be offered the job of Court Sorcerer. There are sixteen participants; matches will be decided by knockout or surrender. First up, Terrowin, son of Brom and William, son of Hadrian." The two aforementioned sorcerers entered the ring and Leon stepped to the side. "Ready? Begin!"

Terrowin was tall and confident, he shot a ball of fire straight at William without hesitation. The smaller man yelped but managed to conjure a shield in time. William shot fire back at Terrowin, who suspected his opponent was ill-experienced. He side-stepped the slow moving attack and shot his hand out, knocking William off his feet.

Terrowin walked over to his opponent who had hit his head on a rock and fallen unconscious. "Well, that was a bit disappointing," Terrowin muttered.

Leon came back into the ring, "Winner: Terrowin, son of Brom!" he shouted. William was carried to the medical tent and Terrowin left the ring. The crowd cheered; Arthur clapped, but was a little underwhelmed by this first match.  
"Next up: Merek, son of John against Emrys, son of Balinor and King of Druids." King of Druids? Arthur wondered. Wait a minute, Balinor? He had a son? Did that mean this man was a Dragonlord? This tournament may be worth it after all, he mused.

Merek walked into the ring first, he was middle-aged, dark skinned, and fit; built like a warrior. He smirked as his opponent entered the ring, clearly very thin with his face hidden behind the hood of his cloak. "Too scared to show your face, oh mighty druid king?" Merek taunted with a mock bow.

"I have my reasons," Emrys replied coolly. "Do you want to discuss one another's fashion choices or fight?"

Arthur smirked, he already liked this man. Merek looked annoyed, he muttered a spell and part of the earth flew towards his opponent. The hooded man just side-stepped the spell with ease, despite the speed with which it had been travelling. Merek growled at his calm demeanor, throwing more and more earth at the supposed king.

Emrys dodged every blow, "Finished?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer he conjured up a small storm which blasted Merek off his feet and into the stands. He slumped, unconscious.

The crowd was in a shocked silence, but when Leon announced, "Winner: Emrys, son of Balinor!" they cheered loudly. "Next up: Benedict, son of Carac and Lief, son of Edmund." Merek was carted off to the infirmary tent. Emrys walked out of the ring, intending to find the Court Physician, but was stopped by Sir Gwaine.

"That was some fight back there!" he clapped the man on the back.

"Thanks," Emrys replied.

"You seem familiar somehow," Gwaine eyed the man, "We met before?"

"No, I doubt that. I don't spend much time in taverns."

Gwaine's face filled with confusion, "How would you—"

"Your reputation precedes you," he said simply and took his leave, walking to the infirmary tent.

Gaius looked up from tending the unconscious men when he walked in, "Are you injured, my lord?"

Emrys shook his head, "I was hoping to have a word with you. Surely you heard my name announced."

"I'm afraid not," Gaius replied, "My tent is not close enough to the ring to hear clearly. What is it you wanted to discuss?"

"Well, you see, my name is the important thing," the hooded man replied. At Gaius' confusion, he grabbed his hood and pulled it down as he said, "Emrys, son of Balinor." He gave his once-guardian a blinding smile.

Gaius was speechless, he just grabbed Merlin a hug. After a while he pulled back, "You've grown. Where have you been, my boy?"

"With the druids, I'm sort of their king," Merlin said and Gaius raised an eyebrow. "It's mostly just a title, I don't really rule, although they do come to me to settle disputes. Point is, they needed me more than Camelot before, but now I am needed here. And if I'm Court Sorcerer it should be easy enough for them to come to me when they need to."

"We've all missed you," Gaius told him.

Merlin smiled, "I've missed you too, but I'm back now. Hopefully to stay."

"I have no doubt you will win this tournament, but why the hood and name?"

"I want to gain this position by my own merits, not my friendship with the king," Merlin sighed. "And maybe I'm just a little afraid to face Arthur and everyone again. You'd have figured me out anyway, so I came here . . . do you think they will be mad at me?"

"For leaving?" Gaius asked; Merlin nodded. "Perhaps, but I am sure their happiness at having you back will outweigh any past feelings."

Merlin smiled, "Thank you, Gaius," he pulled his hood back up. "Please don't tell anyone about me." He left the tent to watch the rest of the day's matches.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Merlin.**

**Chapter Four**

Emrys sat in the tavern, drink in hand, celebrating with the other participants. There were eight of them left; tomorrow he would be fighting Terrowin. He heard the door open and turned his head, nearly dropping his cup as the king walked in. Arthur looked around, spotted Emrys, and walked towards him.

"Impressive match today," he started.

"Thank you, sire."

Arthur looked like he was hesitating, unsure of what he was about to say. He sat down next to Emrys, "I knew your father, you know. Not well, I only met him once. I thought you might like to know he died well, helping protect me and my manservant from bandits. He also saved my life the day before."

"Thank you," Emrys replied. "I didn't know him well either, just met him the once. Bit hard to find a man who lives in a cave."

Arthur snorted, "Tell me about it." He paused again, "If you don't mind me asking, why do you hide your face?"

"All in good time, my king; you will find out after the tournament. Now if you will excuse me, I need to rest." Emrys got up from the table and headed to his room, followed by Ronan and Ulric.

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Emrys barely batted an eyelash as he knocked out his opponent in the first match of the day. Terrowin was taken to Gaius and Emrys left the ring. Leon continued the tournament, "Winner: Emrys, son of Balinor! Next we have Benedict, son of Carac against Robin, son of Oliver."

Emrys stifled a yawn as he leaned against a fence to survey the matches. Sir Gwaine appeared by his side, chewing on some wheat.

"Another fine match," he complimented. Emrys snorted. "Okay, maybe not but you were impressive; shortest match of the tournament so far. You know, we have a pool going on at the tavern, I bet on you of course."

"You think I'll win?" Emrys asked curiously.

"There's just something about you, Emrys. You remind me of someone, though I'm not sure who, and it just gives me confidence in you. Plus, your first match was pretty amazing, and you are King of Druids!"

Emrys smiled beneath his cloak, "Nice to know someone has such faith in me." Ronan and Ulric appeared behind them at this point, startling Gwaine—Emrys was pretty used to them by now, they did this all the time.

"Do you need anything, my lord?" Ronan asked.

"How about some ale for me and my new friend?"

"At once, my lord," Ulric replied and ran off to the tavern.

Gwaine laughed, "I definitely like you." Emrys laughed along with him, it was nice to talk to his friend again, even if Gwaine didn't know who he was. That would come in time.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Merlin.**

**Chapter Five**

Emrys was so bored at this point he conjured a dragon out of fire in his next match. Benedict, his opponent, surrendered on the spot. Well, that was effective.

Later that day, Leon announced the final match, "We're down to two competitors! Our new Court Sorcerer will be either Emrys, son of Balinor or Quinn, son of Burda."

The two sorcerers entered the ring; Quinn was much taller than Emrys, blond, and built like a warrior. The two eyed each other carefully.

"Still hiding behind that hood, _my lord?_" Quinn asked mockingly. Emrys just stayed silent as he waited for Leon to give the signal.

He stepped out of the ring, "Ready? Begin!"

Quinn launched a barrage of fireballs straight at Emrys, who conjured a shield to protect himself. The fireballs continued until the shield broke from the force and Emrys' arm was burned. He cried out in pain, Quinn taking the opportunity his momentary distraction gave and threw him hard against the stands with a spell.

Emrys slumped over, groaned, but recovered quickly. He stood up, not noticing his hood fall as the crowd gasped at the familiar face. Could it really be? Emrys was focused, he chanted a spell as he walked toward Quinn. Arthur stood up, complete shock covering his features. That's not really . . .?

Suddenly, the wind raged and earth came up from the floor, rocketing towards Quinn. The man attempted to make a shield, but Emrys' spell was too fast. The wind died down and Quinn was on the ground, unconscious.

Leon stepped forward, trying to do his job despite the shock of seeing Merlin again. "Winner and new Court Sorcerer: Emrys, son of Balinor and King of Druids!" The crowd cheered louder than ever until the king yelled at them to be quiet.

"Merlin?" he questioned warily.

The man in question seemed to only just really his hood had fallen and gave a sheepish smile, "In the flesh, my lord." He gave a bow.

Arthur, very uncharacteristically, jumped out of the stands and ran to hug his old friend. He pulled away after a moment, and punched Merlin.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Oh, I don't know, _Mer_lin, maybe because you never told us you were a sorcerer? Or maybe it was the whole leaving without telling anyone bit? How about not coming back for three _years?_ Take your pick!"

"Maybe if you weren't such a clot pole all the time. . ." he muttered, rubbing his cheek. The other knights came over, as did Ronan and Ulric (who were ready to defend their king if necessary) Gwaine laughed and helped Merlin stand.

"You haven't changed a bit," He looked at the two green-cloaked druids. "Although the bodyguards are certainly new."

Merlin laughed, "It's alright Ronan, Ulric. I deserved that punch and I'm sure King Prat will be on his best behavior from now on." He smirked at Arthur. Gwen walked up to Merlin and promptly pulled him into the tightest hug she could manage. "I may be a sorcerer, Gwen, but I do need to breathe," she released him and he winked at her.

Percival clapped Merlin on the shoulder, "Good to have you back."

"Good to be back," Merlin replied. He exchanged words with Elyan and Leon; smiling until he felt his face might stick that way.

Gwaine interrupted, "If this lovey-dovey reunion is finished, I say we celebrate our new Court Sorcerer's home coming! Besides, I have bet money to collect! You never let me down, Merlin."

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Ta-da! What did you think? I could easily be persuaded to write a sequel...probably with a real plot. Sorry if the matches were a little lame...I wouldn't be the most creative sorcerer. Please review! They make my day :D and make me want to write.


	6. Sequel is up!

**Sequel is up, finally! :D**

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"Out of curiosity," Arthur began, "When did you first use magic in front of me?"

"First time we met," Merlin announced, then corrected himself. "Or, rather, the second time. When we had that mace fight, I used magic to keep you from practically killing me. Until Gaius distracted me, of course."

Arthur looked indignant, "You cheated!"

Merlin laughed, "I suppose I did, but hey, you have your skills and I have mine." He winked at his king.

Something seemed to dawn on Arthur, "You weren't kidding when you said you could tear me apart with less than one blow." Merlin just grinned at him.

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**Hope you like it!**


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